Postdoc Position: Public Toilet Governance, Social Infrastructure and Inclusive Cities

1. Introduction

As a postdoctoral researcher you will be addressing pressing questions of urban inclusion, health inequalities and social justice. You will join an ambitious and international team, and you will be offered opportunities for international collaboration, academic publishing, conference participation and meaningful engagement with policymakers and community organisations.

2. Job description

Radboud University is seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join the European DUT research project TOILED ( Towards More Resilient Urban Infrastructures through Toilet-Led Research and Policy on Provisioning, Accessibility and Maintenance of Public Toilets ). The project is coordinated by Dr Rianne van Melik and brings together researchers and urban partners from the Netherlands, Belgium and Türkiye. Project outputs include academic articles, city reports, policy briefs and a Toilet Manifesto. Join us in challenging the neglect of sanitation in urban research and policy, and help shape more inclusive cities for all.

Public toilets are essential yet often overlooked urban infrastructures. They shape who can access and participate in urban life, particularly older adults, people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, and people with digestive illnesses. TOILED aims to understand how more resilient, inclusive and equitable cities can be created through improved public toilet governance. The project investigates three interrelated themes: provisioning, socio-spatial accessibility and maintenance of public toilets in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Ghent (Belgium) and Ankara (Türkiye).

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will play a central role in the project. You will contribute to the design and coordination of comparative research across the three cities and conduct fieldwork in Rotterdam. The project employs a qualitative and interdisciplinary methodology, including policy and institutional analysis, mapping exercises, ethnographic observations and interviews with policymakers, toilet providers, maintenance workers, advocacy organisations and particular populations that need toilets more than others (older adults, homeless individuals, disabled people, and people with digestive illnesses).

You will collaborate closely with international academic partners at the University of Antwerp and Middle East Technical University, as well as with municipal authorities (those of Rotterdam in particular) and civil-society stakeholders. Together, the consortium seeks to generate new knowledge on urban inequalities, social infrastructure and public space, while translating research findings into practical recommendations for policy and practice.

3. Profile

• You hold a PhD in Human Geography, Urban Studies, Urban Sociology, Spatial Planning or a related discipline.
• You have proven interests in and knowledge of theories on public space, social infrastructure, social inclusion and/or diversity, and preferably an affinity for public toilets as a research topic.
• You have experience with qualitative and/or ethnographic research methods.
• You can demonstrate an excellent academic publication record relative to your career stage.
• You have strong organisational and communication skills and proficiency in both English and Dutch (to conduct empirical research in Rotterdam).
• You are interested in co-creation, stakeholder engagement and policy-relevant research.
• You can work independently and collaboratively in an international research team.
• You have good skills in project planning.

4.

We are

You will join the internationally oriented department of Geography, Planning and Environment (GPE) , more specifically the Human Geography group. We value interdisciplinary approaches and encourage collaborations that connect geography with fields such as sociology, anthropology, spatial planning, environmental studies and development studies. You will become part of the TOILED consortium, collaborating with Dr Rianne van Melik and international partners.

5.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 3 years.
• Your salary will start at scale 10, grade 5 (€4,599). The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to dr. Rianne van Melik. We look forward to receiving your application. We ask you to include following documents with your application:

• CV
• Cover letter
• One of your publications (preferably single or first-authored) that best illustrates your research expertise and writing skills.

If you are invited for an interview, you will be asked to write a short research statement (max. 1 A4) in which you provide your initial ideas about the research project. In that stage, we will share more details of the research project.

The first round of interviews (in English) will take place on 30 November 2026. You will preferably start your employment on 1 January 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter.

We can imagine you're curious about our  application procedure . It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information .

Do you already work at Radboud University and have questions about making an internal move? Learn more about internal applications .